A woman is raising money to help her sister-in-law undertake life-changing leg surgery.

Danielle Burton, 24, from Wickford, is raising funds to help 15-year-old Amy Burton, from Benfleet, who has been diagnosed with meningitis and septicaemia.

Mrs Burton, who works at a service centre, said: “Amy came home on October 14 and felt very poorly. Her mother, Gayle, looked for symptoms to try to help her. Amy had a rash that didn’t disappear when she did the glass test.

“Amy was rushed to Southend Hospital and then to St Mary’s Hospital’s intensive care. She was placed in an induced coma and we feared the worst. Amy is still critical and she will not be returning home.”

Amy already had four operations. She will have another one on Friday where the doctors will use muscle from her back to put in her leg to try to save it.

Mrs Burton said: “It’s very worrying, and it’s been very stressful for the family.

“We’re unsure if Amy might lose her leg or not. She’s been in the hospital for a month, but she’s shown some small signs of progress.

“She can get out of her bed and walk around a bit. It’s not something big, but to her it’s so important that she is able to move about.

“She hasn’t been out of the hospital room yet. The money we’re raising will go towards her rehabilitation and hopefully some tutoring so Amy can still keep up with her school work.

“As parents ourselves, we can only hope that our own children will never experience what Amy has gone through.”

Mrs Burton will be running a charity night at Tandoori Parlour, in 61-63 Hart Road, Thundersley, on Tuesday November 28 starting at 7pm.

To support Amy, head to justgiving.com/crowdfunding/amyb.